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What Removab Approval Means to Ascenion and its Partners

When Ascenion was formed in 2001, we set out with the goal of reaching break-even in about 7 years. For some of our partner institutions, we attained this years ago: that is, their revenues from the commercialization of their IP outperform their investments into technology transfer, including patent costs and the fees for the services we deliver. With the anticipated licensing revenues from Removab sales, we should now be able to achieve a positive total balance across all our partners.
On the one hand, this demonstrates that the professional management of IP assets can contribute to product success and finally pay off for all those involved. The prudent patent strategy pursued by the technology transfer team at the Helmholtz Zentrum München at the time of the Removab invention was fundamental to today’s success. The strategy of endorsing the foundation of TRION and licensing relevant patents in return for equity and royalties also paid off. Due to this deal between the research institution and its spin-out, TRION was able to continue product development while the Helmholtz Zentrum could be sure of adequate remuneration in the event of product success. On the other hand, we must admit that, as technology transfer professionals, many success factors lie beyond our control. Much is due to the quality of the invention itself, and, in case of spin-offs, the entrepreneurial spirit of the founders and their team, their collaboration partners and combined development capabilities.
Our job remains to help a sufficient number of inventions get off the ground, knowing that for each success story, dozens will fall by the wayside. We are therefore extremely glad to have renewed our collaboration contracts with all our partner institutions from the Leibniz Association at the end of last year. Together with our partners in the Helmholtz Association and at the Hanover Medical School, they make-up the critical mass that is needed to pursue a sustainable business model and help shape the technology transfer landscape in Germany to the benefit our partners and society.
Christian Stein

Meet us:

STS Forum, October 4–6, 2009, Kyoto, Japan

ASTP Fall Seminar, October 29 & 30, 2009, Krakow, Poland

BioEurope, November 2–4, 2009, Vienna, Austria 

Biotech Networkshop, February 24–26, 2010, Schloss Ringberg (Tegernsee),  Germany

BioVaria, April 20, 2010, Munich, Germany

News in Brief:

Partnership with nine Leibniz Institutes continued
Following 3 years of collaboration, all the partner institutions of the Leibniz Association decided to continue their cooperation with Ascenion as exclusive marketing partner. more

 
New partner from the Leibniz Association: IfN
Ascenion has also closed a partnership contract with the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (IfN) in Magdeburg. more

Alliance with TWINCORE 
Ascenion and TWINCORE - Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hanover, have signed an exclusive collaboration agreement for comprehensive IP asset management support. more

New assistant for Ascenion’s team
Since January this year, Christiane Schwarz has been assisting Ascenion’s management and co-ordinates travel for all her colleagues more

Rights to new ALL-test licensed to Medac
Ascenion has initiated and negotiated a licence agreement on behalf of Hanover Medical School (MHH) providing Medac with exclusive worldwide rights to a diagnostic test that can help guide the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). more

Fast diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases: Licence agreement with Roche Diagnostics
Researchers at the MHH Hospital for Cardiology and Angiology around Prof. Dr Kai C. Wollert have identified growth-differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) as a marker in the blood of cardiac patients more


Novel antibiotic against tuberculosis licensed to Inverness Medical
Ascenion has negotiated the agreement on behalf of an international consortium of patent owners including a Russian inventor, the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology Hans Knöll Institute (HKI) and the Institut Pasteur. more

FZB closes four collaboration contracts 
The FZB - Research Center Borstel - Leibniz Center for Medicine and Biosciences has entered into four alliances with industry: more

DIfE becomes member of the Life Science Foundation
Ascenion’s parent holding, the Life Science Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Research has a new member: the Institute of Human Nutrition (DifE). more

Contact us:

Munich:
T +49 89 318814-0
info(at)ascenion.de

Berlin:
T +49 30 9406 230 -1/-4
berlin(at)ascenion.de

Braunschweig:
T +49 531 6181 2090
braunschweig(at)ascenion.de

Hamburg:
T +49 40 22611 278
habeck(at)ascenion.de

Hanover:
T +49 511 5328 921
cordes(at)ascenion.de

Neuherberg:
T +49 89 3187 2850
scheek(at)ascenion.de

Ascenion GmbH, www.ascenion.de